Icebreaker questions
235 icebreaker questions anyone can answer without sharing anything private: for work teams, the start of a meeting, a new class or a video call.
Pick a random icebreaker
Press the button for a question.
How to run an icebreaker
- Go first. Answer the question yourself, briefly, so people see how long an answer should be.
- Keep it short. One question, about a minute each. In a big group, use breakout rooms or pairs.
- Let people pass. Nobody has to answer, and a pass is fine.
- Rotate the picker. In a weekly meeting, let someone different choose the question each time.
Want something more active? Try one of the team-building games.
Icebreaker questions for work
Easy questions that help a team get to know each other, without anything too personal.
- What is one small thing that reliably makes your workday better?
- Which skill have you picked up on the job that surprised you the most?
- What was the very first job you ever had, and what did it teach you?
- If our team were a band, what would we be called and what would we play?
- What is one tool or app you could not imagine working without?
- Which part of your job could you talk about for an hour without getting bored?
- What is the best piece of career advice anyone has given you?
- Whose role on the team would you most like to try for a day, and why?
Icebreaker questions for meetings
Questions anyone can answer in under a minute, to warm up the start of a meeting.
- In one word, how is your week going so far?
- What is one thing you are looking forward to this week?
- What is the best thing you ate this week?
- On a scale of one to ten, how charged is your battery today, and why?
- What is a small win from the past week worth celebrating?
- What song has been stuck in your head lately?
- Which emoji best describes your mood right now?
- What is the last thing that made you laugh out loud?
Icebreaker questions for students
For the first day of class or a new group, from middle school to college.
- Which school subject would you redesign if you were in charge, and how?
- What is the most interesting thing you learned outside of school this year?
- If you could take a class on any topic at all, what would it be?
- Which book or story from a class has stuck with you the longest?
- How do you like to study best: with music, in silence or with background noise?
- If you could invent a new school holiday, what would it celebrate?
- What is a skill you taught yourself, and how did you learn it?
- Which historical figure would you most like to interview for a class project?
Virtual icebreaker questions
Questions made for video calls: home setups, remote life and things you can show on camera.
- What is the oldest item within arm's reach right now?
- What is the view from your window like today?
- Which object in your workspace has the best story behind it?
- What is the story behind the mug, cup or bottle you are using today?
- What would your dream home office setup include?
- What do you enjoy most about remote work, and what is one thing you would change?
- What is your go-to lunch on a remote workday?
- If your video background could be any real place, where would you be?
Fun icebreaker questions
Light, playful questions that get a group talking and laughing.
- If animals could talk, which one would be the funniest?
- What is the most delightfully useless talent you have?
- If you were a kitchen appliance, which one would you be and why?
- What pointless invention do you secretly wish someone would build?
- Which cartoon world would you love to live in for a week?
- If you could rename any day of the week, what would you call it?
- What is the weirdest food combination you actually enjoy?
- If your life had a laugh track, which moment would get the biggest laugh?
Deep icebreaker questions
Get-to-know-you questions with substance, never intrusive.
- What is a lesson you learned the hard way that you are glad to know now?
- Who is someone who has shaped the way you think, and how did they do it?
- What does a truly good day look like to you?
- What is a small opinion you have changed your mind about, and what changed it?
- What skill are you working on right now, and why does it matter to you?
- Which book, film or song came into your life at exactly the right time?
- What is the best compliment you have ever received, and why did it stick?
- What does success mean to you beyond a job title?
Fun questions to ask coworkers
- What hobby do you have that most people here would never guess?
- What is your favorite way to spend a free weekend day?
- What is the best concert, show or live performance you have ever seen?
- What is a hidden talent you rarely get to show off at work?
- Which movie could you rewatch a hundred times without getting bored?
- Which lunch spot near where you work would you recommend to a new coworker?
- What is the most interesting place you have ever traveled to?
- If you could pick up any new hobby next month, what would it be?